Break-Even ROAS & CPA Calculator for Shopify
Find the ROAS and cost per sale your ads must beat before they make you money.
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What does the Break-Even ROAS Calculator do?
Break-even ROAS is the return on ad spend at which your ads pay for themselves. It equals your selling price divided by what is left of each sale after product cost, shipping, fees and refunds. This calculator also gives your break-even CPA (the most you can pay for a sale) and the target ROAS you need to hit a profit margin you choose.
1. How to use this break-even roas calculator?
- 1Enter your average order value and the costs that come with each order, apart from ads.
- 2Read your break-even ROAS and break-even CPA. Any campaign below that ROAS loses money.
- 3Set your target margin to see the ROAS and CPA you need to make a real profit.
What each input means
- Selling price
- per order (average order value)
- Product cost (COGS)
- per order
- Shipping cost you pay
- per order
- Payment processing fee
- % of the order
- Fixed payment fee
- per order
- Refund and chargeback rate
- % of orders
- Target net profit margin
- % of the order after ads
2. How is the break-even roas calculator calculated?
- Profit before ads = price − product cost − shipping − fees − refund loss
- Break-even CPA = profit before ads
- Break-even ROAS = price ÷ profit before ads
- Target CPA = profit before ads − (target margin × price)
- Target ROAS = price ÷ target CPA
An order of $40 has $12 product cost, $4 shipping, $1.46 of payment fees and $1.20 of refund loss, which leaves $21.34 before ads. Your break-even CPA is $21.34 and your break-even ROAS is 1.87. To keep a 15% margin ($6.00 per order) you need a CPA of $15.34 or lower, which is a ROAS of 2.61.
3. Who should use this tool?
- Store owners about to start Meta, TikTok or Google ads who need a number to judge campaigns against.
- Owners with ads that look busy but are not profitable.
- Anyone who has been told to “aim for 3x ROAS” without knowing if that fits their margins.
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Calculate POD profitBreak-Even ROAS Calculator: frequently asked questions
What is ROAS?
ROAS stands for return on ad spend. It is the revenue an ad account generates divided by the money spent on ads. A ROAS of 2 means $2 of revenue for every $1 of ad spend.
Is a 3x ROAS good?
It depends entirely on your margins. If your break-even ROAS is 1.9, then 3x is profitable. If it is 3.2, then 3x loses money. That is why you should calculate your own break-even number.
What is the difference between ROAS and MER?
ROAS is measured per ad platform. MER (marketing efficiency ratio) divides total store revenue by total ad spend across all platforms, so it is less affected by attribution problems.
Why do refunds matter here?
A refunded order still cost you the ad spend and the shipping. Including a refund rate keeps your break-even number realistic.
Services that move these numbers
Meta Ads
Pixel and conversion tracking, then campaign creation, testing and scaling on Facebook and Instagram.
Learn more →Google Ads
Search and Shopping campaigns set up and optimised to bring in buyers who are ready to purchase.
Learn more →TikTok Ads
TikTok campaigns and creative built for short-form buyers, with tracking set up first.
Learn more →Want an expert to look at your real numbers?
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